Patrick Mahomes reminds Bears fans what could've been, but what is now a sobering reality

Patrick Mahomes reminds Bears fans what could've been, but what is now a sobering reality originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Patrick Mahomes is --- and will go down as --- one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in its history.

And the Bears had a chance to take him. But didn't.

Does Mahomes still think about the Bears passing on him in the draft?

“I don’t know if it’s still on my mind, but I like beating them for sure," Mahomes said of the Bears passing on him after the Chiefs defeated the Bears 41-10 on Sunday.

Ahead of the 2017 NFL draft, the Bears desperately needed a quarterback. Mahomes, a Texas Tech stud, was one of the top prospects. So was Deshaun Watson, the 2017 National Champion from Clemson.

The Bears traded up from the No. 3 to the No. 2 pick. Everyone knew it was quarterback time. But they made a grave mistake. They took Mitch Trubisky, the barely experienced, but highly-touted prospect out of North Carolina. The pick became the start of a horrific era of mediocre, .500 football with dreams of replicating the 2018 season.

The Chiefs drafted Mahomes with the No. 10 pick in the draft. Watson went two picks later.

Ouch.

For his career against the Bears --- his coulda-woulda-shoulda- team --- Mahomes holds a 119.7 passer rating on the back of 523 passing yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. He holds a blistering 71.2 completion rate against the Bears and he's only ever been sacked one time from Chicago's defense.

This past Sunday, he reminded the Bears who they missed out on.

He threw for 272 yards and three touchdowns, completing 24-of-33 passes. He also tacked on 28 rushing yards. His performance was so exquisite that the Chiefs gave him a break in the second half and replaced him with backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

And still, what seems like a franchise-long problem, the Bears continue their quest for a franchise signal caller.

Justin Fields didn't look the part on Sunday. He threw for 99 yards on 11 completions. He ran for 47 yards on another 11 attempts. He threw one touchdown pass to DJ Moore late in the fourth quarter during garbage time.

And now, the Bears stand 0-3 this season.

What could've been for the city of Chicago is now a mission to recover from one of the worst blunders in franchise history. And Mahomes, rightfully so, gets to gloat from his hard-earned success with the Chiefs.

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